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The Nature of Sin

Posted Sep 25 2009 by Jonathan Brink in , with 18 Comments

What is the real nature of sin?  And if grace is true, how far does it truly extend?

I’m not a huge fan of Mr Diety. It essentially plays on the worst hypocrisies and stereotypes of faith and Christianity, although its irreverence has made me laugh from time to time.  But this video got me really thinking. (ht)

Real life skeptic Dr. Michael Shermer, who is Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, and columnist for Scientific American, pleads his case before Jesus and Mr. Deity at the judgment seat. Shermer was actually a Christian in college and professed to being a born again Christian, but then chose to use his rational and critical mind, and eventually walked away from faith.  He says to God, “I used the brain you gave me to think critically and skeptically.  I developed some doubts, I admit…my sincerity dropped.”

And then Shermer poses an interesting question. “But wait.  Shouldn’t doubt and insincerity, as sins, be covered under the same category as lying?”

The look on Jesus’ and Mr. Diety’s face is really interesting because Shermer has produced a fascinating argument that calls into question our traditional understanding of sin.  Is there really a line in which certain sins are NOT covered by grace? Or does is grace something that extends far beyond our traditional understanding?

Interested in your thoughts.

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About the Author

Jonathan BrinkI am an business development and communications consultant. I am also the senior editor and publisher for Civitas Press. I recently published, Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole, New Christianity. (Civitas, 2011)View all posts by Jonathan Brink →

  • Christof Weber

    The video does make you think … But since when is “doubt” a sin? Is doubt the opposite of faith? Can we even have faith without some doubt?

  • Christof Weber

    The video does make you think … But since when is “doubt” a sin? Is doubt the opposite of faith? Can we even have faith without some doubt?

  • http://www.calacirian.org sonja n a

    Hmmm … doubt is not the same as insincerity. Well, I would not put them in the same category anyway.

    In my paradigm, having doubt and being willing to express it openly is further evidence of honesty and truth … not lying. So it would not need to be “covered” as a sin at all.

    Does being insincere rise to the level of a sin? Well, I guess that's only for God to answer. My guess would be that if grace can cover lying, then it can cover insincerity.

    My whole issue with the discussion with sin and grace though is that inevitably we humans tend to see sin in terms of a spectrum. As if some sins are sort of grayish-white (gluttony, pride, gossip), others more grayish-black (lying, stealing, adultery) and still others (murder, pedophilia, rape) are all black. But God makes it pretty clear that when She looks at the entire spectrum of our sins there is only one hue that She sees … BLACK. And that all of that sin is covered with Jesus' grace/blood. Every last bit. That grace is all encompassing.

    We humans do not get this at all. We want a rating system. We want our sins to be rated, judged and sometimes we are not even able to accept the grace that is extended to us. I think it's because we want to know that as black as our own hearts are, somewhere there is someone who is blacker than us … if we're honest. But the truth is that we're all just as black (as bad off) and just as forgiven. No one is better; no one is worse … and there but for the grace of God, go I.

  • http://www.calacirian.org sonja n a

    Hmmm … doubt is not the same as insincerity. Well, I would not put them in the same category anyway.

    In my paradigm, having doubt and being willing to express it openly is further evidence of honesty and truth … not lying. So it would not need to be “covered” as a sin at all.

    Does being insincere rise to the level of a sin? Well, I guess that's only for God to answer. My guess would be that if grace can cover lying, then it can cover insincerity.

    My whole issue with the discussion with sin and grace though is that inevitably we humans tend to see sin in terms of a spectrum. As if some sins are sort of grayish-white (gluttony, pride, gossip), others more grayish-black (lying, stealing, adultery) and still others (murder, pedophilia, rape) are all black. But God makes it pretty clear that when She looks at the entire spectrum of our sins there is only one hue that She sees … BLACK. And that all of that sin is covered with Jesus' grace/blood. Every last bit. That grace is all encompassing.

    We humans do not get this at all. We want a rating system. We want our sins to be rated, judged and sometimes we are not even able to accept the grace that is extended to us. I think it's because we want to know that as black as our own hearts are, somewhere there is someone who is blacker than us … if we're honest. But the truth is that we're all just as black (as bad off) and just as forgiven. No one is better; no one is worse … and there but for the grace of God, go I.

  • angelaharms

    I wish I had some clue what the word “sin” means. I have no idea why translators chose it for the words in the bible they chose it for.

  • angelaharms

    I wish I had some clue what the word “sin” means. I have no idea why translators chose it for the words in the bible they chose it for.

  • http://www.calacirian.org sonja n a

    Hmmm … doubt is not the same as insincerity. Well, I would not put them in the same category anyway.rnrnIn my paradigm, having doubt and being willing to express it openly is further evidence of honesty and truth … not lying. So it would not need to be “covered” as a sin at all.rnrnDoes being insincere rise to the level of a sin? Well, I guess that’s only for God to answer. My guess would be that if grace can cover lying, then it can cover insincerity.rnrnMy whole issue with the discussion with sin and grace though is that inevitably we humans tend to see sin in terms of a spectrum. As if some sins are sort of grayish-white (gluttony, pride, gossip), others more grayish-black (lying, stealing, adultery) and still others (murder, pedophilia, rape) are all black. But God makes it pretty clear that when She looks at the entire spectrum of our sins there is only one hue that She sees … BLACK. And that all of that sin is covered with Jesus’ grace/blood. Every last bit. That grace is all encompassing. rnrnWe humans do not get this at all. We want a rating system. We want our sins to be rated, judged and sometimes we are not even able to accept the grace that is extended to us. I think it’s because we want to know that as black as our own hearts are, somewhere there is someone who is blacker than us … if we’re honest. But the truth is that we’re all just as black (as bad off) and just as forgiven. No one is better; no one is worse … and there but for the grace of God, go I.

  • Anonymous

    I wish I had some clue what the word “sin” means. I have no idea why translators chose it for the words in the bible they chose it for.

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    Angela, is your concern with the word's translation, or how people have used it to control, hammer, bash, repress, humiliate, and shame people? ;-P

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    Angela, is your concern with the word's translation, or how people have used it to control, hammer, bash, repress, humiliate, and shame people? ;-P

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    Chrisof, I think that is what Shermer is alluding to. At what point do we draw a line, or is there NO line? He makes an interesting argument for the latter.

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    Chrisof, I think that is what Shermer is alluding to. At what point do we draw a line, or is there NO line? He makes an interesting argument for the latter.

  • angelaharms

    Some of each, really. I really am curious what the word meant before it started being used by the church.

  • angelaharms

    Some of each, really. I really am curious what the word meant before it started being used by the church.

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    Angela, is your concern with the word’s translation, or how people have used it to control, hammer, bash, repress, humiliate, and shame people? ;-P

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    Chrisof, I think that is what Shermer is alluding to. At what point do we draw a line, or is there NO line? He makes an interesting argument for the latter.

  • Anonymous

    Some of each, really. I really am curious what the word meant before it started being used by the church.

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